Michael Chandler likes the idea of landing under the same promotional banner as fellow free agent Eddie Alvarez. However, he said that possibility coming to fruition doesn’t outweigh his desire for both men get the best deals possible.

Chandler (18-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA) and Alvarez (29-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC) will forever be linked together due to their two epic fights at Bellator 58 in November 2011 and Bellator 106 in November 2013. A trilogy bout would surely do big business and garner plenty of attention, but first both men must figure out where their future fighting homes will be.

Both Chandler, 32, and Alvarez, 34, became free agents following their most recents fights under the Bellator and UFC banners, respectively. Free agency in MMA can be difficult to navigate, but there seems to be at least some possibility both men could land in the same organization, be it Bellator or UFC.

Chandler said that’s an exciting proposition, but most of all he wants Alvarez to go where he’s paid his worth.

“I have a ton of respect for him as a fighter, and I just want to see the best for him,” Chandler told MMAjunkie. “If that means staying with the UFC, I hope he stays in the UFC. If that means coming to Bellator, I would love to welcome him to Bellator and finish that trilogy. There’s not a day that’s gone by recently since he announced that this last fight was the last fight on his contract, that people haven’t stopped talking about the trilogy.

“People are putting videos out there and asking the, ‘What-ifs’ and whatnot. I got a ton of respect for the guy. He fights for the right reasons, he fights like a dog and I’d love to share the cage with him again.”

The first clash between Chandler and Alvarez at Bellator 58 is an all-time classic. It was a blood-and-guts type of battle that saw Chandler emerge victorious by fourth-round submission to claim the Bellator lightweight title.

The rematch was even more competitive. The pair went five full rounds, and in the end it was Alvarez who edged out a split decision to regain the 155-pound belt he’d lost to Chandler in the first meeting.

After enduring so many grueling minutes in the cage together, Chandler said he holds Alvarez in the highest regard. If the situation pans out that both men are under the same promotional banner, though, Chandler said he’d like nothing more than to line up the trilogy bout and prove he’s the better fighter once and for all.

“There’s not a guy that I respect in this sport more than Eddie Alvarez,” Chandler said. “When you share 50 minutes inside a cage – I’ve got a scar on my lip that he gave me, I’ve got another scar on my eyebrow that he gave me. I could look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘That’s from that guy, that’s from that guy.’ Eddie put it on me here and there. Being 1-1, me finishing him the first fight, him beating me in the second fight; Eddie’s just a warrior. He’s been Bellator champion, he’s been UFC champion. He’s been champion in every major organization in the entire world.”

For more on the Bellator schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.